The Master of Science Program in Integrated Digital Media is designed to provide the tools, skills, and insight to craft a better future not only for our alumni, but for everyone their work and life will touch after they graduate. In general, the Master of Science degree is designed to provide a balance of specialized knowledge and experience with a high standard of "cultural capital". Whether it is undertaken as the beginning of a career in academic research, industry, or service, an MS must provide the right mix of mastery of one's particular discipline with a broad understanding of the long-term patterns and tendencies of society and culture. As the reach and impact of new technologies increases, so must the wisdom of those making decisions about their deployment and use.

Our MS in Integrated Digital Media is made to be the best preparation for a rewarding future in the rapidly expanding field of digital media communications, across a wide spectrum of interests: creative experience, an understanding of the broader forces shaping communications technologies and society, and the ability to make the most of what they know, and what they can imagine. Individual students and small teams are organized to produce professional work under the direct supervision of senior faculty. Where appropriate, leaders in allied professions are brought in to work hands-on with students and faculty together, including faculty from other departments at the university, or elsewhere in New York City.

The Master of Science program in Integrated Digital Media is full-time and intensive: three consecutive semesters, including a major creative/research thesis project. This requires complete commitment, albeit for a manageable span of time, from 'literate practitioners' who are prepared to make the most of their personal resources. While the formal course requirement of 30 credit-hours including a 6-credit thesis project may seem very manageable, it must be borne in mind that a considerable commitment of work is expected outside of class hours. The curriculum combines hands-on production work with study of historical, legal, and philosophical aspects of digital media communications. Guest scholars and conferences supplement the regular program, and maximize personal contact with leaders in various sectors of the field: business, advocacy, service, entertainment, and education.

On the production side, we emphasize the development of skills applicable to a broad spectrum of media and mandates: small groups working on specific projects, with a focus on content-driven design, planning, and creation. In general, the facilities and strategies are geared to top-of-the-line portable gear, rather than capital-intensive studio setups. This makes it practical for our labs to offer up-to-the-minute technology, and also for our students to prepare for freelance work and/or their own start-ups, as well as the corporate and public sectors.

Polytechnic Institute's Integrated Digital Media lab, one of several accessible to students at the Brooklyn campus, is designed with a specific approach in mind: to provide access to state-of-the-art audio, video, web, and multimedia tools for studio and "in-the-field' production. It is also an ongoing testbed and case study for getting the most and best from every dollar and minute invested. Whether you're working for MTV, UNESCO, or yourself, you need to understand the difference between a tool, a toy, and a treadmill.

 

Requirements

30 credit hours of coursework, spread over 3 semesters. Students typically take a four-course load (at 3 credits per course) in the fall and spring of their first year. In the second year, students either enroll in a 6-credit thesis seminar (recommended) or take two additional 3-credit courses.

Distribution requirements for the degree: all DM students are required to enroll in a first-semester Media Studies Seminar (DM 6043), as well as DM 6033 (Media Organizations) in the fall and DM 7033 (Media Law) in the spring of their first year. The first-year seminar provides a dual role as a graduate-level course in media studies (complete with a writing-intensive research project), and a forum for students to present their creative and technical work for peer review and group critique.

For the remainder of the coursework, the curriculum runs as follows:

In the fall, BxmC studio courses are offered in the following topics: Performance, Sound, Cinema, 3D, Interaction Design, Game Design, Web, Networked Media. Students are enrolled in two of these courses their first semester, based on interest and the thesis project the student is considering. In general, students will enroll in those courses which they feel will best raise their level of expertise in a specialty for which they come well-prepared, with a view to collaborating with colleagues with complementary skills and interests. While these studio courses are broad in scope (insofar as they cover a conceptual theme prevalent in digital media, rather than a specific sub-topic), they each require focused production work from the students in the form of a final project.

In the spring, students have the option of choosing among three elective courses ("Specials"), which may include an Independent Study course (DM9103), or a 3-credit Internship (DM9203). "Special" electives are taught by regular and adjunct faculty and are selected each year based on the interests of the first-year class from a pool of possible courses. For example, if the entering DM class has a specific interest in Machine Vision (based on their project work in the first-semester Seminar), an elective on that topic will be "commissioned" by the faculty. Independent Study enrollment is permitted for DM students interested in specific research areas outside of the electives offered. The Internship is available for students seeking to gain job experience outside of the Institute in the commercial or non-profit sector.

Students' third semester in the DM program centers around a 6-credit Thesis Seminar, in which they develop their MS thesis projects and writing in a group environment, supervised by a faculty member. At the end of the seminar, students prepare and defend their thesis projects before a faculty committee. A successful thesis defense means they can deposit their thesis papers with the Polytechnic Institute and receive their degrees. Students who are considered capable of independent thesis research or who specifically need additional foundation coursework may instead enroll in two additional 3-credit courses.